The Home Park Community Improvement Association (HPCIA) Land Use Committee (LUC) is part of the City of Atlanta’s Community Partners Review Process and provides recommendations to the City through the NPU-E. The committee reviews all alcohol applications, building permits seeking variances, special exceptions and special use permits in the HPCIA boundaries. Applicants seeking a vote on an application during a scheduled HPCIA LUC meeting must submit their request no later than 5:00 p.m. 21 days prior to the scheduled meeting.
When are Land Use Committee meeting held? Committee meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
When is the next Land Use Committee meeting? Click here to access the HPCIA meeting and events calendar.
Who can attend? Members of the Home Park community are encouraged to attend and actively participate. However, only active HPCIA members are eligible to vote.
I would like to present during an upcoming Land Use Committee meeting. What do I need to do to be added to the agenda? Applicants seeking a vote on an application during a scheduled HPCIA Land Use Committee meetings must submit their request no later than 5:00 p.m. 21 days prior to the scheduled HPCIA LUC meeting. At the time of the request all documentation relevant to the application (applications, site plans, etc.) should be emailed to the HPCIA LUC in a .pdf document to landuse@homepark.org. The plans must be stamped by the city. If the applicant does not have stamped plans, the LUC cannot vote on the application until they have received the city’s stamped copies. The intent of getting the plans at least three weeks prior gives the LUC time to review the plans, then send to the rest of the Home Park community for their review. The committee may request a meeting with the applicant to discuss details of the application and appropriate next steps prior to the Land Use Committee meeting. (Usually NPU-E will forward the completed application with the city stamp to the appropriate neighborhood for consideration.)
If the applicant’s request is not received by 5:00 p.m. 21 days prior to the scheduled HPCIA Land Use Committee meeting, the applicant will be delayed by one (1) month and scheduled for the next HPCIA LUC meeting.
HPCIA encourages applicants to come to the Land Use Committee meeting for any informational sessions early in the design process before submitting for a building permit. This allows the applicant to gain feedback from the community before it is time for the community to vote on the application.
Additionally, Before the LUC meeting an applicant should discuss in advance their plans with their directly affected neighbors (those whose property is adjacent to theirs). This will allow the applicant to open a dialogue with their neighbor to see if they have any concerns or objections that can be addressed early in the process.
It is strongly recommended that the applicant include in their submission to the LUC signed letters of support for their application from adjacent neighbors. Should the Land Use Committee recommend not to oppose the application these letters would strengthen the case with the city. Suggested guidelines for Letters of Support can be found here.
At the LUC meeting the applicant will present their application and will then be asked questions. Conditions for voting may be suggested by HPCIA to the applicant prior to the vote. All meetings are open and community neighbors will be allowed to also ask questions or make comments. As stated above, only HPCIA members are eligible to vote.
The Land Use chair will tell the applicant if their application is opposed or not opposed. The Home Park NPU-E representative will be advised of the vote.
The LUC takes the following factors into consideration when reviewing the applications:
● The existing code, its intent and if there is leeway for variation
● Existing precedent – how have similar requests been handled in the past and does this request establish a new precedent
● The specifics of the site and situation
After the Land Use meeting the applicant will be asked to attend the next NPU-E (first Tuesday of the month), where they will be asked if they have presented to the Home Park Land Use Committee. Home Park’s NPU-E Representative will be asked for the voting results and if there are any conditions to the application. The applicant may be asked some questions at this meeting as well but will not have to make a major presentation.
NPU-E will then vote on the application and enter it into its voting report to the City of Atlanta. The applicant’s next meeting would be with the City of Atlanta’s ZRB or BZA depending on the nature of the application.
Who should I email if I have any additional questions? landuse@homepark.org